Much like the one seen in the
movie The Matrix, the consumer-available
EMP (
Electro-magnetic pulse) device will render all nearby
electronics permanently or
temporarily useless, depending on the
nature of the device affected. Its
primary use, once it becomes available in the near-future, will be to fend off
attacks by evil
octopus-looking
machines bent on
world domination and/or
making babies.
It works by generating a powerful wave of EM energy which overloads electrical circuits. The circuits become overloaded because, by Faraday's law, the magnetic flux generates current in ALL of the circuits in a device at the same time, causing a general shutdown.
Also good for clearing hard disks!